Love Like Dark
by Imperfectly Yours
Summary: “I can’t. The dark is not for me.” She turned but he held her still, breathing into her ear. “Oh but Kagome, the darkness is so beautiful.” NarakuxKagome.
1. Chapter 1

**Love like Dark **

**Summary: **"I can't. The dark is not for me." She turned but he held her still, breathing into her ear. "Oh but Kagome, the darkness is so beautiful." NarakuxKagome.

**A/N:** New story. Just wanted to try my hand at a Naraku/Kagome love-fic. Seems like a love full of controversy and turmoil and conflict, and something very beautiful.

Also, Kagome WILL NOT turn evil at any point in this fic. Nor will Naraku turn good. That's just too OOC for me.

Please review and tell me what you think so far. It will be much appreciated.

**Chapter One**

He was the creature they tracked. Not man nor demon, he was a foul thing. He moved from place to place, carrying the dead with him, the souls of demons, all at his will. He was an evil thing, lost within darkness. He was the dark itself. And the power of darkness bowed to him.

Yet, he watched her.

They tracked to kill him. To avenge their families slain by his wicked hands. To lift the dark curses from their bodies, to free themselves from his bond. He was the plague of the land and wished to ridden him forever, for eternity. To take the Shikon no Tama from his heartless body and complete it once and for all. He was their enemy, and them to him, and they despised him more than any other.

Yet, he watched her.

They were an angry half demon, a mourning demon-hunter, a cursed monk, a young fox. And she, she was the pretty miko with the spring wind hair, with eyes like rain, with a heart so pure it shown like the blinding sun itself, with a power so vast yet subtle and undiscovered. She was a figment of his past, a ghost of something not yet forgotten, a reminder of lost days hazy in his mind.

And that was why he watched her.

* * *

It was night when a wind lifted into the air and passed by a crouching half-demon. His eyes opened at the presence of wind, flickering red and gold within the fire light. Before him was a small encampment: the fiery coals of a fire, and four sleeping bodies spread out beyond. They seem undisturbed by the wind.

But he was not.

He stood up to his feet, his great sword swinging on his back. He put his nose to the air and sniffed, almost curiously. And there it was again, heavy and persistent, the smell of dark.

The scent seemed to envelop them in a thick shroud. The stars were no longer visible as a new mist hung low, and the horizon looked almost purple.

A body on the ground moved, awake from its slumber. It was a human girl.

"Inuyasha?" She called out to the half-demon before her. He turned around and faced her. He did not reply.

"What is it?" She asked again, sitting up.

"Naraku." Inuyasha replied. "I can smell that bastard in the air." The mist around them had grown thicker, and the wind was shrill against their ears.

Soon the others of the party were awake. They all stood shivering in the cold of the night. The fire was nothing but sparse flickers, but they had no time to tend it.

"You are sure, Inuyasha, that it is Naraku?" A young man with dark eyes asked, holding a high staff.

"Miroku, you can't sense it? Even I feel a bit of something in the air." A young woman questioned. She had a pretty, worn face, like a doll that had been played too much and was now tired and old. On her back stretched a huge boomerang that looked far too heavy for her to carry. She was a demon-huntress.

However, the monk Miroku seemed to have other things in mind. His hands reached down her backside.

"Oh, Sango, you know I feel it too, right – about – here –"

There was a loud "Umph!", a crisp painful noise and then a blaring red hand slap right across his face.

"Not now you two. We have a demon to catch." Kagome looked over at them, rolling her eyes at the mishap. She had already gathered up most of their supplies into a bundle that she had placed on the great demon Kilala, Sango's companion.

"Which direction is it coming from?" Sango asked the white haired demon, who stood farther along the road, blaring in the darkness like a beacon.

"North."

The party looked at one another, almost unsure.

"Kagome, what do you think?" Miroku asked the girl, who seemed to be quite apprehensive herself.

"Well, I think any scent or lead we get we should follow. We might be wrong," Inuyasha gave her a sharp look, "but we might also be right. Any chance at killing Naraku I'll take." She explained. She strung a large bundle of arrows to her back, along with an old bow.

"Well then, it's settled. Let's get moving." Sango announced.

"Naruku, I will kill you tonight. There is no escaping." Inuyasha's eyes glittered gold within the dark, a dangerous smile playing his lips.

And like fire to wood, they were alive and off.

The small party advanced through the shadows of the night. The woods creaked around them as a small gust picked up once more. The sky shimmered heavy purple and blue and Kagome held to the shoulders of Inuyasha, eyes wide and watching.

The scent seemed to be confused itself. Inuyasha was convinced it was coming from the north, but sometimes he would stop, pick up this chin and sniff, muttering how it seemed to be going from the east and the west too.

The wind began to pick up, almost unnaturally, shrilling high in their ears. Leaves tore around them, shining in the moonlight like feathers. A heavy gust whipped past them, almost knocking them over. Instantly, a whirlwind of fog and faint light seemed to weave around them, and they seemed lost in the whirlwind's hands and motions. It seemed far from just a windy night, and more – magical.

At this, Inuyasha stopped. Kagome let go of his back and fell to the ground, the rest of the party stopping shortly behind them. The wind continued its unnatural motions and patterns in the cold night air.

No one moved, except for eyes twitching, trying to see through the thickness of fog and wind and leaves scattered and blowing.

"There is someone else here." Kagome said, almost questioning her friends if they had thought the same thing. No one responded, however.

And then, there was a strange noise, the sound of all noises completely silenced, hushed, thrown away. The wind fell and dropped to the floor, defeated. It was like breath to a candle flame. Gone. But only for a moment, for the wind began to stir again, feebly, almost playing games with them.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stepped forward into the mist.

"Kagura." Inuyasha's voice flared and fell as he grasped his sword. It erupted into a huge size from the handle, and he swung it in front of him threateningly.

There was a distant laugh, almost like a faint echo. And then, the wind swirled, revealing a pale woman with blood eyes and a face devoid of any emotion. A smile flickered on her face and her cold voice replied.

"Hello, Inuyasha."

* * *

There was a high, chilling laugh a great distance away. A shadowed figure sat in a great, cold fortress, as he watched the small party through a crystal held in two, spiny hands. He sat alone in a great room, the glowing of purple and red the only light beyond his window.

These were his ways. Leading them on broken trails, scents let loose in different directions only to disappear. He was elusive, he was crafty, and these were his ways.

Only once had he mistaken himself by not masking his scent well enough, leading the troublesome half-demon right up to his doorstep. But this time, it was not a mistake, he was certain. A diversion would be a proper name. Inuyasha and his partners would be too busy with his servant Kagura, to realize that their prized miko had disappeared, led far into the depths of the forest.

And there, he would meet her, and see her, and trick her. She would be more than a desire, she would be _his_. It had been far too long watching with a careful eye from the depths of his castle. And she would come willing, she would beg to go with him, to be swallowed by the darkness itself. He would make sure of that.

He was bound to her essence because of what it was made from, captivated by the purity of it all. She was like a shiny star he wished to pick from the sky and hold within his palms, and he wished to extinguish this light. She was the remnants of the girl of centuries before, the one that cared for him and dressed his wounds and kept him company. The girl who he had tricked and killed. The one he was never to have as his own.

But now, he would have her.

"Oh sweet Kagome, I can already taste your heart."

Another dark laugh filled the high walls of the castle room.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 2:** Kagome and Naraku meet, and Naraku's plan turns out differently. Will be filled with action and answer many questions.

**Extra Notes: **Naraku's intent on Kagome is not just lust or desire. That will be revealed later. Kagome will fall in love but how or for what reason will be revealed later as well. He will not turn good nor will Kagome turn evil. You will see in the end, it really isn't what you're expecting. Next few chapters will be longer so don't get in such a huff quite yet.

Cheers


	2. Chapter 2

**Love like Dark **

**Summary: **"I can't. The dark is not for me." She turned but he held her still, breathing into her ear. "Oh but Kagome, the darkness is so beautiful." NarakuxKagome.

**A/N:** Thanks for reviews so far. Not as much as I expected but I really like this story so it shall continue. Hopefully more people will enjoy it!

Please review and tell me what you think so far. It will be much appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

The moon itself seemed to stand before them, her white face split with a grin.

"Inuyasha, what a pleasant surprise." She laughed to herself, the fans twirling in her hands playfully. Wind rippled off the feathered tips.

"As to you." He spat. "What do you want?"

She swung her hand above her face, suddenly, so that it was veiled by her fan. The rest of the small party tensed at this action.

"Nothing much," her eyes were dangerous slits, "just a little game."

Suddenly, without any warning, her hands shot forward and a large gust of wind was thrust at them. Inuyasha, who attempted a Wind Scar to negate her attack, was thrown back. Kagome was swept away like a leaf and the world around her disappeared in swirls of white and silver.

After many seconds, she hit the hard ground with a thud. The wind hissed in her ears and then was silenced.

Pushing herself off the ground, she noticed the dark brown stains across her blouse and skirt that she was sure would leave a stain. She grimaced.

Kagome, no longer distracted, then looked to the sky and around her, which was now clear from wind and fog. No noises could be heard across the realms, seemingly everything had returned to a normal night. Was Kagura defeated, or had she simply disappeared once more? Kagome stood up.

However, she discovered Inuyasha, Kagura, or any of her party was not in site. She in fact seemed to be in a very secluded area, her back to a large field, while facing a dark forest.

She immediately thought many things. First, it was possibly an illusion devised by Kagura. Or maybe she had just smacked the wits out of her head falling to the ground and she was somewhere passed out while the battle raged on without her.

At this, she moved over to the nearest tree and felt its leaves, felt the trunk. She grasped a handful of dirt and flung it from her, and it glittered in the moonlight for a second before falling to the ground. It did not seem hazy like a dream, or anything like an illusion. Everything was just too – _real, _the same it had always been.

"Inuyasha!" She called out. Her voice hung in the air and then dropped.

"Inuyasha! Sango! Miroku! Shippo!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, but there was still no response. "Anyone?" Kagome muttered to herself in defeat. She was as she thought: alone in the night.

She continued to stand, perturbed, wondering perhaps she was carried by the gust of wind farther than she thought. Whatever the case, she was there, with only the night, and no idea which direction to go from there. She turned and considered the field, but beyond the field was just more forest and what else she did not know.

Perhaps she should just stay put and wait for them to find her. After all, that was what her mother always told her if she were to get lost in stores or parks. Stay and wait for help. However, an independent girl did not like staying put, and certainly did not like waiting.

Kagome turned to the darkened wood that seemed to stretch unnaturally for miles. She admitted to herself that it did look frightening, but it was her only other option. She took notice of the twisted limbs of trees she had never seen before in her life, of the dark shapes of bushes and brush. But she also noticed something very strange: there seemed to be a small path right at her feet leading right through the trunks of trees. A very visible path indeed, partly due to a large amount of moonlight across it.

"Strange." She muttered to herself, looking carefully at the path.

She was unsure, but there was a path, in a deep dark forest in which she would be lost otherwise. What else was she to do?

Kagome took a few steps into the woods, leaves crunching underneath her shoes. She stopped, observing the darkness around her. Shivering, she decided there was no going back. She was soon swallowed by the dark.

Dark shapes and figures swelled around her as she kept walking. And yet, things were quite calming. Drops of water hung on leaves and tickled her as she brushed against them. The darkness did not seem all too unfamiliar. The path she followed always seemed to stay beneath her feet. She was yet to encounter anything frightening, anything to sharpen her senses. She felt quite silly actually, for being so scared of a bunch of wood and leaves.

She shook her head, smiling. What could be in the forest that would want to cause any harm to _her_?

Animals were more scared of her and she was sure anything could hear her from quite a distance, since the crunching and swaying of branches and disturbance she was making in her flight was louder than she wanted. So she hoped any beasts or critters were hiding somewhere from her.

She continued walking for quite some while, the undergrowth and brush seeming to never end. And then, suddenly, things turned from dark to light.

She stood, momentarily dazed by such light. Blinking her eyes many times she then looked around, finding herself in a clearing. The moon was bright and vivid above the crest of trees. Around her was the circle of trees, and beyond them the darkness she had just come from. It was quite beautiful, and peaceful, and quiet.

And yet, things did not seem right. Kagome tensed, feeling as if she was in danger, that things were not as they seemed, that she was not alone –

There was a snap of a branch, the drop of a shadow opposite to her within the dark shadows of a tree, and Kagome gasped.

Black hair shined under the moonlight as a tall figure strode into the clearing. It was a male, with pale skin like snow and eyes tinted a glistening red. His face looked upon her and their eyes met and Kagome's heart jolted within her chest.

There he was before her. The immaculate evil. The devil himself. The demon they had hunted for days and weeks and he had cursed them every step they took. Before her, unarmed, barefoot in the grass, under the moonlight, alone with her.

It was the dead of night.

And she was with Naraku.

Her mind collapsed into gears turning and electrostatic. She was alone with Naraku. For whatever reason was still unknown to her, but he still stood before her. Where was Inuyasha? Where was Sango? She had no weapon at her side, for it must have been flung from her arms in the attack. She was a girl, and he was a ruthless demon, and she knew the spider across his back hungered.

The moon stood a beacon in the endless realm of night and seemed to mock her.

She could not be saved from horrors that night.

They continued to stare at one another, and her right knee felt like it was collapsing outward. She knew she could not show fear but it was another plan astray. Her eyes glistened like stars. He took steps forward, dew glistening on his ankles.

"Excuse me if I have frightened you, Kagome." A devilish smile appeared on his lips as he walked further to her. She continued to back up, slowly, like a frightened animal.

She did not reply but instead landed a careful foot in the damp grass and stopped, her body half turned. She told herself to run, to run, to hide, to go into the shadows to where he would never be able to find her. But she knew she could not, because he was faster, he was stronger, and she could never hide from Naraku. Kagome did not even know which way to go, and she did not want to get lost within the blackness of a forest with such sinister evil afoot.

She looked to him, noticing he was closer than she liked. She swallowed but the lump in her throat remained.

"What," her voice was dry, cough-like, "do you want?"

He remained silent but instead looked at her with a curiosity that reminded her of a child at the zoo.

"If you want the Shikon no Tama, I don't have them." She added with as much firmness as she could muster. His eyes lit and he let out a dark chuckle that was like bats to her ears.

"Of course you don't, Kagome. Perhaps you cannot see that I am unarmed, almost naked, and presented myself to you quite obviously." Naraku's teeth gleamed beneath his lips.

Kagome could not argue with this, but she did know for a fact it was most likely a trap and was very experienced when it came to last minute tricks up Naraku's sleeve. This was probably just another.

"Well," she paused for a moment, "why are you here then? What do you want?" Her words were slightly hostile.

He raised his eyebrows. "I ask the same of you."

"You won't get an answer." She hissed to him. Her fear of only minutes ago had left and anger had stepped in. She did not want his games. She had to be strong.

"Oh don't be so hostile, Kagome! It is an innocent question. Many young girls don't wander the forests at moonlight. Can't say the same about demons, though." His voice was teasing.

Kagome wanted to say he wasn't just any demon and never left his damn castle but she bit her tongue.

"Is this another one of your puppets?" Kagome asked him, and his face twitched.

"Kagome, do you find me foolish? Walking alone in forests as my true self? Inuyasha is not the only demon who wants my head." He added with a smirk.

"Coward." She hissed at him, and anger washed over his face and disappeared.

"But don't fear. I still have the capability to kill you with my bare hands." He stopped for a moment and Kagome could not prevent a small peep from coming from her throat.

"My question, Kagome." His voice was bubbling but then sizzled dry. His devious smile faded.

Kagome looked at him with daggers, not wished to be commanded by anyone, least of all him.

"Well. Kagura managed to find us along a road and blasted me to hell. I ended up somewhere unfamiliar, saw a path, and followed it." Kagome explained without many details.

"But this, I'm sure, you already know." She added, and her tone was frosted.

"Indeed I do." He let loose another grin.

Kagome felt a shock fill her body but tried to mask it. She had said that with the intent he would say he didn't know. But it was true. This was _his entire plan_. Kagome mentally pinched herself. Wake up! Naraku was not any bit innocent and always all-knowing. It was too foolish and dangerous to believe otherwise, even just for a moment.

"You are surprised?" He questioned in a way that she knew he didn't want an answer.

She ignored him. "Why, Naraku?" she spat his filthy name from her mouth. "Why did you bring me here? If you don't have any weapons, and show yourself to me, I can't see the point."

She knew whatever answer he gave her would not be the truth.

The smile that tugged on his lips grew wider. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her body that made her tremble terribly. "You."

She was suddenly quite frightened but she was determined not to show it. Her face paled.

"Me? Just me?"

"Yes. Not your life, not your jewels, and not any information about those troublesome fools you accompany." His eyes seemed to trace down her figure, and she felt very, very dirty. "Just you."

Kagome's voice retreated into her throat and hid. He would take her and rape her and kill her. She knew this now and she was terrified.

"And more specifically, perhaps, I would like you to come back with me to my manor, and live with me." He seemed to purr to her. "Kagome, I want you."

He stepped forward. "I want you to be my miko."

Kagome, no matter how much danger lurked in the air or how much fear filled her heart, did not tolerate being talked to like a possession. That was something Inuyasha mastered and there were one too many "Sit!"s because of it.

Her hidden voice exploded from her mouth. "I am not Kikyou and I will not release myself to you! I do not know what ideas you have in your head but I will not be another demon you lock up in a cellar to use whatever parts of later!"

"Oh, no, Kagome. That is not my intention at all." His voice was soft and velvety and it made Kagome even more disgusted.

"You are vile, Naraku. Vile and evil and stink of all the people you have killed." She hissed at him.

He snapped back. "More vile than Inuyasha? The man who you love but will never love you? Who will only love a lost soul of many years ago I so artfully tore apart? Who is mean and angry and bitter and cannot treat you the way you so desire?" His words were trickery. "The way I can give you?"

Kagome was only more outraged by this.

"What do you really want from me Naraku? My body? My powers? My soul?" Her eyes shone brilliantly with fierce anger. "Another mindless puppet at your will?"

"I don't know who you think I am. I am not Kikyou. And I am not stupid. I will never go or do anything for you willing." Her voice was now raised. "And if you even lay a finger on me, Inuyasha will kill you for sure."

He laughed at her. "That dog cannot and will not ever be able to kill me. His anger and his arrogance get in the way. You know this."

"You're wrong." She replied quickly.

"I believe I am quite right. Inuyasha is a broken and failed demon."

There was a slight silence but Kagome's eyes never left the demon.

"And I know much about you Kagome, more than you think. I know you are very much like Kikyou, and you are not so innocent." He showed his teeth with a grin. "And I know for certain you will come with me out of choice. You will once you taste what I can offer you. Just even the smallest taste." He held out his hand to her and she looked revolted and ignored the gesture.

"What makes you think I'd taste something as rotten as you? You are out of your mind Naraku. Find Kagura to do your bidding."

This brought such sudden anger to Naraku he could not continue it. The veins across his arms pulsed and something rippled from underneath his skin.

"You _will_ come with me, wretched girl!" his voice was thunder and lightning and Kagome stared back at him.

"I certainly _will not_ come with you!" she thundered back and his eyes turned to slits and in a seconds time he lunged at her.

Kagome screamed and shot forth her hands. Naraku was upon her body and purple lighted up the air, dazzling bright and magical. She could smell his stench against her face then was relieved with cold crisp air a moment later.

She looked first at her palms which burned terribly and then up to where Naraku stood, bent over. He staggered backward as the purple light moved from the center of his body outward and ate away his limbs and face. He let out a yell and then disappeared into a shower of violet dust.

She fell to her knees, exhausted. Placing her palms to the ground she hung her head below her shoulders, breathing hard. Her black hair reached the grass and shined silver with wetness in the stillness of the night.

* * *

A block of wood upon a table was suddenly sliced diagonally, the cut piece falling to the ground. Dust lifted into the air and settled around the broken piece as it lay there unmoved.

There was a thunderous noise from the room. A table had been lifted and thrown against the wall, and now lay on the floor in splinters and fragments. At the foot of the wreckage was the shadow of a man, whose shoulders and chest heaved terribly.

His body was a shadow, a silhouette, against the darkened blue and red and purple sky behind him, which flashed lightning dangerously.

This was nothing compared to his anger.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 3:** Kagome can only think about what has happened, and then Naraku startles her again.

**Extra Notes: **I've determined this story will be 10-15 chapters long as of now.

Oh, and Merry merry merry Christmas Hanukah Kwanza and whatever else you may celebrate!

Cheers


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the wait! Hope it's worth it!_

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

She would not tell Inuyasha.

Kagome pushed herself off the damp ground with frail arms and shivered to the cold.

She could not tell Inuyasha.

Though, she wasn't exactly sure if that was the best idea, or if it would even work. Looking down at herself in the moonlight she determined she must reek of the filthy demon if she still felt his dark touch upon her body.

It was too close, she decided. She would have to be more careful.

Perhaps she should tell Inuyasha and they could get a lead off of her encounter. Maybe then she would be safe from his grasp if her companions knew what had happened, with Inuyasha looking out with a sharper nose.

"_That dog cannot and will not ever be able to kill me. His anger and his arrogance get in the way. You know this."_

His high voice and cackle rang throughout her mind and she cursed him a thousand times. She did not feel very safe at all, and she had a feeling safety would be a rare thing from now on.

Kagome looked around and felt very trapped within the walls of the darkened grove. She was in the middle of nowhere. Lost. And Inuyasha was off fighting in a battle and probably hadn't even noticed she was missing.

She was alone.

But was she?

She cast an eye to the forest beyond and saw nothing but dark and undefined shapes that could be a bush or a rabid wolf for all she knew. She held herself as her skin prickled with chill and wondered what in the world she was supposed to do.

She turned back around and her eyes traced the black groves around her once more. She looked to the left for a moment and almost looked away when a figure stuck out in the corner of her eye. She turned to it and froze and gasped at the exact same moment.

He was back.

She jerked back as an instinct and tripped on her ankle, falling to the ground.

She almost screamed but caught herself. The hazy shape of what she thought was Naraku defined into a slender tree with boughs sticking out at weird places. Her chest heaved as she let out a sigh. The wetness of the grass pierced the thin fabric of her skirt and she pushed herself of the ground once more and stood in the air that seemed too still to be natural. Her pale skin trembled for a reason that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Kagome, get a hold on yourself." She muttered to herself, continuing to shake uncontrollably.

The moon was still high above and wide with piercing white. Her eyes flashed its reflection when she looked quickly to its left. There was a sliver of white that was gliding across the sky and she smiled for an instant thinking it was a shooting star. As it crossed the path of the moon its shadow showed it definitely was not a star or any celestial body for that matter.

It looked almost like ---

"A feather?" Kagome whispered, trying to look closer with the skill only a telescope could have. It was no use.

There was a sudden white flash from around the object and it darted into the dark horizon quickly, disappearing.

Kagome gasped as some mechanism inside her brain clicked.

"Kagura!" she whispered.

Her mind turned with new found ideas. If Kagura was nearby, so was Inuyasha! She stumbled forward a few paces, trying to figure out what direction Kagura had flown from. Her mind then made, she broke through the undergrowth.

Gone were the thoughts of Naraku, the fears of him lurking in the shadows, the torments of her mind. The dark trees and bushes that had played tricks on her before were flung out of her way as she flew through the brush with a speed that surprised her. She would no longer stand in the clearing like bait. She would find Inuyasha, and Naraku would regret ever putting his filthy hands on her.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Her motions were mechanical as her mind went abuzz. Would she tell Inuyasha? What reason was there not to? But what reason was there to? She thought for a quick second the pros and cons. If she told him, there would be a general spread of panic knowing perhaps Naraku had much different motives.

"_And more specifically, perhaps, I would like you to come back with me to my manor, and live with me."_

"_I want you to be my miko."_

His chilling voice passed through her mind once more and she shook her head suddenly as she continued to push through the waves of black and green.

However, if she didn't tell Inuyasha would that put her at greater risk? Or none at all? Would he just be furious at her for letting it happen and once again his rage blind him?

She did not want Naraku to get away with this, and especially not let it happen again. Kagome had a distinct feeling it was not in her control anymore and would happen anyways.

She lowered her head as the sharp ends of branches and sticks grazed her sides. She pushed all thoughts aside and knew she had to find Inuyasha. Her yelling for his name resumed.

It felt like at least an hour before Kagome ran right into him. Stumbling through the forest, she had tripped on a root and flew right into his chest. At first she was scared and almost screamed before looking up to his sparkling white hair. At that point she threw her arms around his torso and squeezed until he pried her from his body. She looked up with large fearful eyes. Naraku had quite the grip on her mind and her heart was still pumping out fear.

"Kagome! What happened? Where have you been? We have been looking for you for hours!" Inuyasha said roughly, his hands on her shoulders.

Kagome's chest heaved and burned from her flight and she struggled to catch her breath. It had been hours? Kagome's head whirled and she felt dizzy and faint. She let out a cough and tried to steady herself.

"I'm," she paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of her lip, "I'm not sure." Her face was puzzled; mismatched pieces.

He looked down at her concerned. His left ear suddenly twitched and he looked up towards the dark canopy.

"Sango! Miroku! I found her!" His teeth flashed as he yelled into the cool, dark air.

There was a sudden whoosh of air as the flaming ends of a large demon flew into view. It fell to the ground gracefully and two figures dropped from its back. It was a tall man, sporting a large staff, and a small woman, heaving a large boomerang. They rushed to Kagome's side.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

Their hushed whispers reached her ears and she felt faint.

"Well, if I can remember right, we were rushing into battle, and it felt like a second later I was carried off by Kagurra's magic wind. I was carried to the edge of a dark forest, and I couldn't find you or hear you or see any sights of the battle! I decided to walk into the forest, since it really was the only thing I could do. And then I got to a large opening in the trees, and, and I—" She stopped talking for a second, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"And what?" Miroku pressed, his face covered with concern.

She sucked in a deep breath. "And I got so scared of the dark and the fact that I was the only one in miles of forest that I panicked, tripped on my ankle, and fell face first into a rock. I only woke up probably an hour ago." A trickle of sweat escaped down her back and she looked up into the faces that peered down at her. She was waiting for the blast to hit her, the blast after the bomb had dropped. There was no way that this was believable, and so she choked up preparing to reveal what really happened.

Suddenly, Inuyasha let out a loud huff. "Well, that figures!" Her eyes snapped up to his face with burning anger.

Sango seemed to feel the same way and she sighed. "Just ignore him Kagome, he's concerned, just doesn't want to show it."

The vein on Inuyasha's forehead pulsated a little too much. "I do care, Sango! Just ain't the story I was expecting." He let out another loud huff and looked away, arms crossed.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well, what about you guys? You said you were searching for hours for me."

"Yes, the whole battle was certainly odd. Kagura seemed to only dance around, to where we couldn't hit her. She made a great mist around her so that we were blinded, laughing all the while. It seemed like quite the diversion, and we expected Naraku or some army of demons to appear any moment. And yet, only a few minutes into it, and she disappeared on her magic feather." Miroku's deep and soothing voice answered her.

"Woulda had her too. Stupid feather." Inuyasha muttered somewhere within the dark.

"Yes, and that was when we realized you were gone." Miroku finished.

"Oh, that is weird." Kagome commented, her voice full of false surprise. She knew exactly what had gone on that night.

"More importantly, are you okay Kagome? You said you hit your head on a rock. Do you feel any bumps? Bruises?" Miroku took a step towards her but she put up her hands in response. He stopped.

"Yes, I am sure I don't have any bumps or bruises. Maybe a few scratches, but that's all." She looked around at their faces which she thought looked highly unconvinced. "Really. Don't worry." She added.

There was a dark silence in which the sweat from her flight began to turn icy and her rosy cheeks faded. The cold crept up to Kagome and wrapped its tight arms about her figure. She shivered violently and her teeth began chattering so loudly that Inuyasha turned to her in alarm.

"Nothing." They looked at each other. "J-just f-freezing." He nodded.

"Let's get going. We can set up camp in the outskirts of the forest." Inuyasha's voice commanded them and they in return obeyed without question.

Kagome climbed feebly on to Inuyasha's back, grasping around his neck tightly. Soon he sprinted through the forest, everything a blur to her sagging eyes. She yawned once, then twice. Her body groaned in exhaustion.

And yet, before she slipped into the ethereal world of dreams, three things disturbed her quiet mind.

First, she wondered why Inuyasha had not smelled Naraku on her bare skin when she could sense it herself.

Second, she recollected her party's lack of usual concern.

And third, his face.

* * *

The next day had passed on and little had happened. Kagome slept mostly, her worn body frozen in sleep. Every once and a while she would twist and moan, something about the darkness and the moon and grass, but she was usually quiet and calm.

During the long hours of the day Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku looked upon her, deciding that something was amiss. Inuyasha was determined she was hiding something. Sango and Miroku had more faith than he.

"But really! She hasn't acted this way before! Something musta happened." Inuyasha pressed as Sango and Miroku shrugged slightly.

"Yes, she is acting strangely, but we can't assume anything. If something did in fact happen, she will tell us when she is ready." Miroku prodded at a sprouting fire before them.

Miroku was always wise, and this bugged Inuyasha. He turned from them.

When Kagome woke the stars already poke through the thin veil of the sky and the sun was creeping slowly beneath the edge of the land.

She groaned and twisted her torso to stretch. Inuyasha's left ear pricked at her yawns and sighs and turned around.

"Finally up!" He exclaimed, bearing his teeth.

She rubbed her eyes, ignoring his remarks. "How long have I been sleeping?" Her voice was scratchy.

"Too long." Inuyasha mumbled but was ignored again.

"About a day." Sango replied, holding up a stick with fish on it. "Want something to eat?"

Though her stomach wasn't growling at that moment she figured it would soon. "Yeah, sure." The fish smoked in her hands and her mouth watered. She was suddenly very hungry.

"Thanks." She mumbled in between bites. She took another fish before she patted her stomach, satisfied.

"So, what have I missed?" She leaned back on her elbows as the fire reflected in her eyes. The dusk had quickly settled around them and the dark was barely hovering above light. It would be night soon, too soon, Kagome thought.

"Nothing at all. We set up camp." Sango replied.

"Did all the manual labor." Inuyasha's quiet remark was met by sighs.

"Set up camp." Sango corrected him. "Caught some fish. Waited for you. Hard to do anything when you're not around." Kagome could see a flicker of a smile and she smiled back. She really did like Sango.

Kagome stood up and stretched her tired joints. Her knees cracked twice and she winced. The air was hot and sticky and still she shivered. She reached into her small sack and found nothing to keep her warm.

And then, she felt a trickle down her back and she gasped. Her vision went blurry for a second as she held her breath in, trickles continuing down her back like pouring water.

The wind whipped around her form and suddenly she was compelled to go into the forest.

She shook her ahead, trying to rid herself of the nonsense. There was no reason to go into the forest, especially at near dark fall. But the fogginess of her mind could not hold, and her body began to gave way, shaking.

Kagome could not resist, could not fight it. She had an irresistible and undeniable desire to walk among the branches beyond, to feel the land beneath her feet. She could not deny this, and she could not do otherwise. It was already decided.

She turned to her group, which had begun to set up camp. Sango looked back at her with a funny look and waved.

"Kagome, what's the matter?" Kagome looked at Sango but made no response. "Are you okay? Are you sensing something?" Sango pressed.

At this point the rest of the group turned to Kagome and she shook her head. Her mind was still blurry but she still tried to seem coherent.

"No, nothing is wrong at all, Sango. I just," She paused for a moment, turning her head to look behind her, "I just need to go into the forest for a few minutes."

There was a sudden growl and Inuyasha's voice burst through the silence. "Are you crazy, Kagome? It's almost night! What in the damn world are you thinking?"

Her calm voice replied. "I just want to go and have some time for myself, that's all. Is it too much to ask? There's a few more minutes of daylight left and I promise I'll be back by then."

"Yes it's too much to ask! It's crazy! At least have Sango go with you or something, maybe you two could have a girl talk, or whatever you girls do." Sango and Kagome shot him a look and he shrugged.

"No, Inuyasha. I need to go by myself."

"No! You ain't going anywhere!" Inuyasha's voice was raised and Kagome just sighed.

"Kagome, it does seem unreasonable, considering all the strange events that have been occurring." Miroku added in, and Kagome sucked in her breath. The desire that was within her roared in defiance to Miroku's words of reason.

"Exactly!" Inuyasha's claws matched his voice. Kagome began to breathe heavily in anger. She opened her mouth to let her words escape but was hushed.

Sango's deep sigh could be heard above all and the tension in the air seemed to be at a standstill.

"Kagome," she said quietly, "You haven't been yourself. Not since we found in the forest, anyways. I don't know," Inuyasha shot her a look and she shrugged, "_we_ don't know what you are thinking, what you are going through, or what had happened."

Kagome looked at Sango closely, and the desire within her seemed to disappear. Did they already know?

"But _we _have no right to assume, _or _to judge your decisions. We just want you safe, happy, and healthy, and not as a battle partner, but as a friend. If you need a few moments in the forest, then _we_ will be back here, waiting for you."

Kagome's eyes wavered beneath tears. "Thank you." She whispered.

She turned to the rest of her party, who stared at her with intensity. Inuyasha looked at her with resentment before looking away sharply. Her head dropped at their faces.

"Goodbye, be back soon." She turned and raised a hand in farewell. She walked a few steps before stopping.

"Oh, and Inuyasha, please don't follow me, or else I'll take more time to myself back home for a few days." Her head was half turned and they could see clearly the profile of her face. She saw his claws click menacingly and knew that was her time to leave.

"Don't you dare blackmail me!"

"Goodbye, Inuyasha."

She stepped into the arms and legs of the forest and was swallowed.

She walked for a few minutes, the darkness twisting within the limbs around her, everything becoming thicker and greener and cooler. Still compelled by an unknown force within her, she pushed snagging branches and leaves out of her path, and continued at a fast pace. The sun continued to sink lower beneath the horizon but she paid no attention.

After several more minutes her walk slowed as the trees around her began to thin. Sparse pockets of grass began to appear, sharp under her feet, and the earth was hard and dry. Around her the long last cries of birds filled the air then disappeared.

Her heart began to race as she broke through the last wall of forest. She was there, almost there. She could feel the longing in the body race around in her limbs, leaving a sensation of tingling in its wake. She took a few quick steps forth, and pushed herself out into the unknown space.

The sad cry of a bird called out in the darkness as she stood, cut and damp and glowing, in the middle of an oval clearing.

The compelling force within her disappeared. She stood there and felt her knees beginning to give way underneath her. She stumbled back a few paces to get her grip on the trunk of her tree. The slight blurriness of the sights around her melted into long streaks of color and she closed her eyes to stop the dizziness.

Only a few moments later, when she had calmed herself, Kagome opened her eyes and took in everything around her. She blinked and her eyes were liquid brown. There was a pulse from somewhere deep within her that sent a shock wave through her body. And it was like all the broken matter in her universe, the shattered pieces of things that she couldn't understand and that didn't make sense, the stuff that floated around her mind and collided and was relentless; it was like it all came together, became fixed upon a certain point, bound to the essence of this point. Gravity.

She suddenly knew. She gasped. She was here because of him.

"Naraku." She breathed aloud, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Kagome." A quiet voice came from behind her. She felt a presence at her back and a quick hand wrapped around her torso.

She shook violently in his grasp, trying to yell, but found no words came out. The forest around her was deathly silent.

"Don't shake, you have nothing to be afraid of." His voice came again, shadows in her ears.

"Coward, lecherous, despicable, disgusting demon." Her voice was rough and strained. "You don't even have the guts to get me yourself!"

She could feel the grumble of his laughter on her neck.

"That is where you are wrong, my dear Kagome. You see, there are no puppets or illusions or tricks. There is only me."

Her mouth clenched, her heart racing with fear, she could not nothing as his arms tightened around her.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 4:** You just get to see what happens to "poor" Kagome. I'd have to say it will be the most important chapter in this whole series.

**Extra Notes: **I have already finished chapter four. Just need to make a few finishing touches, and edit. Will be up in a week. Thanks for waiting. I have just been so busy. I promise it will all be worth it!


	4. Chapter 4

_Told ya I'd update fast! _

_Warning: __This chapter is probably the most graphic of all the series. Not too bad, but I feel for ya if you get squirmy at intimate scenes._

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

His lips grazed her neck, her shoulders, the soft flesh above her collarbone. Still she stood rigid, trying to cover her face, her body, which was so, _so_ exposed. Her arms tried to pry his body off of hers but he was a force she couldn't stop. Unstoppable. She growled into his ear as she attempted to scratch and escape, but his skin felt like steel beneath her fingertips. He matched her growl and pinned her shoulders against a tree. The bark pierced her back and shoulders and she felt a wetness seep into the back of her shirt.

She winced and wriggled under his touch, but his arms were steadfast, his mouth was patient, tracing a line up her neck.

She cringed at every movement, the slightest coldness of his fingertips. She felt nauseated, feeling a hot rush of liquid rise up her throat, but she repelled it, swallowed it, just like she swallowed her darkest regrets and thoughts and feelings within her mind, so she wouldn't have to feel.

How could she have let this happen to herself? He set no trap; she set her own self up. She was what she feared the most: living, walking, breathing bait. She walked into the forest and merely waited for him to grab her. She had ignored her friends and everything they said. She had ignored her inner voice and the promises she made herself. She ignored the values she had grown up with that had kept her safe.

She was no longer safe. She was now a vixen to his soul.

No longer holding her thoughts and feelings and fears back they released themselves. She let tears spill over her eyes and trickle down her face, not being able to whisk them away. Naraku took pleasure into this, and with his gentle mouth tasted them as they fell.

_What have I done? _

Her tears and gentle sighs transformed into racks of painful sobs that even Naraku couldn't suppress; he tried to ignore it. She gasped and choked and her pain echoed into the quiet air.

Where was Inuyasha? Where was Sango or Shippo or Miroku? Or her mother?

She continued in hysterics.

Finally she felt his body disconnect from hers. Through her puffy eyes she looked up at him, whose face was full of rage.

"This is _not_ what I want!" He stated harshly, taking a rough hand to her shoulders and shaking her. "Stop babbling like a baby! You are ruining my concentration." He hissed into her ears and she glared at him with more hate than she ever thought she could possess.

She sobbed even louder under his grip.

"Just kill me Naraku. Just kill me and be done with it." Her voice was quiet and restrained and tormented by her pain.

"Oh no, Kagome. You are much too precious." His lips curved up into a smirk. "But if I ever do, I will make sure I get what I want out of you first."

She gasped, attempted to hit and strike him but he held her back. "You are a monster, Naraku. A monster and a coward and a lecherous deceiving demon I would kill if – "

He took a lightning step forward and his lips crashed into hers with such momentum she was knocked back into the tree and became light headed from the impact. No longer did he tease and dance around her skin like a rich woman would play with her jewelry. In fact, it didn't even seem like he was enjoying himself. He seemed angry. He seemed terribly angry. His lips and teeth tore at hers and she made her greatest effort not to respond in pleasure or in pain. She let slip a wince once or twice at the taste of blood that filled her mouth.

His lips broke from hers and pressed against her neck with vigilance. Kagome put out a weakened effort to push him away but her muscles and skin and body itself was giving way and shutting down.

And then, without warning, he pressed his lips to her ear. It was like an electric current swept through her body, paralyzing her. Her body jolted with this force and her eyes snapped open.

His hair was sharp black, and his eyes, though dimly lit, looked almost purple. His skin was as pale as candlelight and shimmered as his muscles rippled beneath.

She suddenly felt very warm. Her body curved upward to his like it was being bent from underneath, like a strip of metal in a wielder's hand.

Was that right?

Her mind was racing too fast to catch a thought.

He was still going across, quicker now, to her jawbone.

She pushed and shoved knowing what was to come but his body was like a rock, crushing into her.

He outlined the shape of her jaw.

There were curious shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the wetness of her shirt.

To her cheek, faster now.

Her arms succumbed to his force and he pinned them to her side with little effort.

Was she enjoying this?

Her eyes snapped open once more, furious at herself. She repeated _no no no_ in her mind several times, hoping it would stop the trickling feeling of her back, of her thighs, of her fingers.

This was wrong!

His lips were soft, delicate, quickly moving.

This was very wrong!

No longer her cheek but her chin.

Perhaps he was just exploring.

Wrong wrong wrong!

The functions of her legs and hands and arms was forgotten and she stood there, immobile and paralyzed.

Why wasn't she fighting?

Nothing but smoke in her mind. She choked and could not see. Inside the little reason she had cried out in one last attempt.

This isn't right! This isn't what should be happening!

Use your powers! Get away!

Failed. The voice fell away and silence expanded in her mind like a planet that had been hit by a star.

Her body gave away, muscles tired and sore, and he fully pressed her against the tree, sensing this. No longer did his lips play with the softness of her skin. Again they crushed into hers with a force that made her cringe, that made her feel completely and terribly disgusting, that made her _gasp_.

And he continued kissing her with a force that made her feel like her head was imploding. Around her all shapes of trees and the starry sky and the wisps of his hair straying into sight disappeared. Blackness settled in and all thoughts of who and what and where and why acted like they never existed. She did not know what she was doing. She did not know this was Naraku. Time faded away, clocks and calendars like reels of paper blown away in a breeze. She acted upon instinct, upon touch, and nothing else existed in her mind.

As if she was a robot, her hands move mechanically up, farther up, even farther up, to his neck. And lay there.

And she kissed _him_.

Her body felt like a million degrees.

She felt like she was hanging off the edge of cliff, awaiting a long fall.

She felt submerged in water, drowning infinitely, never-ending.

She felt suspended in mid air, suspended with the stars in the sky, so high above that the world below was a glimmer of a memory.

She felt translucent, ghost like.

She felt _alive._

Hands moved. Bodies crushed. To the grass to the ground, there was sticks in hair and hair in earth and hair spread out so far along the grass it looked like shimmering water.

Black on black.

And it went on like this, for however long, she didn't mind, she didn't care. She was _enjoying_ herself. Her passion collided with his and rebounded. It was so unbelievably unrealistic but she didn't pay attention. She was lost within herself and within the bounds of his body. She was in the fire, getting burned, but didn't couldn't tell if it was pain or euphoria.

Never-ending pain and pleasure, submerged below reality.

Hands to waist. She gasped involuntarily.

But nothing happened.

All pressure was relieved from her body. Blinking, she saw the little light return to her eyes. Her mind was blank but her body roared. She peered around her. He was gone. She looked around, at the trees, at the sky. Nothing but the night settled in around her. He was gone.

She blinked again, a small part of her mind suddenly responsive, sending pulses outward. She lay back on the grass and her hair spread out along the grass, like, like _he _had put it.

And then, suddenly, voices in the forest. She turned her head.

"I don't CARE if she NEEDS to be alone. It's been over an hour and I need to see if she is okay!"

"Inuyasha, don't!"

"Shove off!"

More sounds of crashing.

What was that? Why did it all seems so familiar?

More pulses from her mind and the numbness began to dissipate.

There, very clear, like a bright orb in her mind was everything that happened, is happening, and will happen. All she had to do was grasp it. Hesitating for a moment, she reached towards this appearance of light.

A finger to that orb and everything and anything that existed to her hit her like a sonic boom, like waves of noise. Suddenly she was very aware.

She _knew._

And all the nights emotions, atrocities, backward and inside out feelings, the heat and the cold and wind and the rain fell upon and her eyes welled and she cried to her heart's content.

* * *

Inuyasha and the rest crashed through the same wall of trees she had and stood in the clearing. There, in the center, was the broken form of a girl. She was leaning over her knees, bending over so far that her shoulder's almost touched the wet grass. Her hair fell over her shoulders and shielded her face, but he did not need to see that she was crying. The smell of her tears was thick in the air.

Without pausing he ran over to the girl. Her sobs were louder than any sound in the forest, for everything else was silent.

"Kagome?" He called quietly to her, touching her shoulder gently. She did not respond and continued to sob, her body wracked with shakes and moans.

He kneeled beside her in the grass, this time taking a delicate hand to the veil of hair that covered her eyes. He pushed the strands off of her forehead, and could see clearly her face, which was dirty, streaked with tears, and blotched with red. However, she did not even pause to look up at him, or even notice that he was there. He took the hair and put it behind her ear.

Inuyasha turned around at Sango and Miroku, who stood in the dimming light, shaking their heads. They had told him not to disturb her, and he had did so. They turned away from him and disappeared into the forest.

He growled. Obviously Kagome was hurt, and they abandoned the sight, just because they happened to be right. He let the growl ripple through him once more to relieve the strokes of rage, but the anger still remained, hidden.

"Kagome," he said softly, "what is wrong with you?"

A mumbled cry.

"What has happened? Who has hurt you?"

A silence and sniffle.

Her eyes snapped open, and looked at him through a thick red and puffiness. He stared back at her, and for a while no one moved. She continued to look at him, as if searching for something. Her head shook slightly. She sat up.

"Oh, Inuyasha." Kagome cried. She leapt up from sitting and fell into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if she was never going to let go.

He was startled at first, but rested his head on her shoulder, understanding her need for him. He wrapped his arms around her shaking figure, breathing in her scent –

He gasped and grasped her shoulders, pulling her off.

Blood. Her blood. Pungent and burning in his nose. Strong and fresh, no longer covered by the smell of her tears.

Kagome looked at him with wide eyes.

"Kagome! You're bleeding!" Inuyasha frantically held up her body, looking at her. Several scratches and bruises formed on her skin, especially around the neck. He felt up her arms, her stomach, her back.

Instantly his hands slipped on a wet substance. He took out his hand and saw it was covered with thick, red blood. The blood reflected in his gold eyes, wide with shock.

"What happened? Tell me now Kagome!" He roared at her. Muscles rippled under his skin and his nose flared with anger.

"Nothing." Her whisper of a voice came and disappeared.

He became so angry at this that he took her by both arms and pulled her like a ragdoll so close to him that their noses touched.

"Tell me! Now!" He demanded, his teeth baring, fangs flashing and threatening.

She took one long look at him, drinking in the sight. His eyes were aflame with rage and his skin was flushed and quivering. Her supposed source of safety. Her supposed source of comfort.

"D-demon, Inuyasha." She muttered quietly and collapsed in his arms.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 5:** A little bit of Naraku's POV. Kagome's party begins to split apart as she lies.

**Extra Notes: **Will start working on Chapter 5. Will try to get up in a week, might be a bit after.


	5. Chapter 5

_Enjoy and review if you do!_

_Also, I do not remember specifically of Onigomu, and what he was capable doing. I know he could not move. So if I get it a bit wrong, then whatever, I made it work in whatever way I could. This is referring to the dream sequence at the very beginning by the way. _

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Among the brightness of light in the early morning was the swaying and shifting of dark hair, almost like silk, that called to him.

He could not see the hair, but he could hear it. Like the rhythm of a heart, like the breeze. And sometimes, when she did not realize, it touched him, just the tips of each strand as she would move over him. It was the softest impression on his skin. And yet, it was heaven and hell, and he could have neither. He was left burning.

Among the crippled and mangled pile that was his body the hair sung to him and the light footsteps in the grass beyond his home trickled into his ear and down his spine, and for a moment he was wracked with pains.

He waited patiently on the ground, for laying still was all he could do, as the footsteps each became a stone dropping in his mind, falling and echoing within its darkness. Closer now, closer. Each day she came without fail, and she would touch him slightly, and she would speak to him with a voice that made him feel human, complete and whole and breathing, once more.

The mouth of the cave sighed as her feet were placed upon the cold rock within, and he could feel her gaze burning across his body. His body tensed in the ways it could as he waited for her sweet voice to drip into his ears. His mouth watered for this sound, for her voice was so darkly delicious and he craved it with each passing day. Her feet traveled softly across the dirty floor, and he could hear her kneel besides him. This scuffling was the last he heard, for silence swallowed them to the point it was roaring in his ear, and he strained for any little noise.

But there was none. In his mind he screamed and cursed. This never happened, for the cave was always full of the buzz of her voice, talking about the summer's heat or the winter's chill, about the deer she saw, the shoes needing replacement. Why wasn't she speaking? Was she hurt, or angry at him, or sad and needing comfort? If only he could find out for himself! If only he could move within this wretched body, if only he could be free, if only he could be with her freely and forever, satisfy his wishes, so that his loneliness was only a glimmer of the past. He tried desperately to move his limbs, even just the slightest bit, but they would not move. He was a pile of discarded flesh and muscles that had no use or value.

It was at his attempts to move that he froze. The slightest movement of her body could be felt in the air around him, like she was lifting her arms, or turning her head. His skin prickled at this.

There was another movement through the dust, and suddenly, without warning, he felt her delicate fingertips press against his eyelids. He roared within and melted under her touch, the darkness spinning like a galaxy of stars, spinning continuously as her fingers remained. They were so hot to the touch, so soft, the most beautiful thing he could have ever felt. He wanted more.

It seemed like a second later they were removed from his eyelids. At this, there seemed to be a feeling that spread through his body, an awakening, a revelation, a salvation. A liberation.

And suddenly, it happened. The cracked and rusty hinges that were his eyelids opened wide for the first time since he could remember. The light blinded him for minutes, even hours, until the darkness was swallowed in its presence. Eventually, it faded. And he saw the color brown, gray, black, the slime and dirt covered walls of his home. He saw a prick of blue beyond the dirty walls, the green swaying of a tree.

And he looked before him, and saw the most beautiful black, like liquid obsidian, curled around a face so angelic he gasped involuntarily and desperately tried to reach with his hand to grab the silken cheeks and pull it to face and taste every inch.

He focused in. Honey eyes. The sliver of lips. Defined cheeks. Pale and withdrawn and yet glowing like a million stars, polished like a silver pearl.

And though he did not see this face before, and though he spent his life in darkness and despair and felt like he had slept a century and finally was awakened, he knew this face. It was not the maiden he had known for days and nights, who kept him company in such a time. This face was much purer. No amount of time would have stopped him from recognizing such a face.

It was Kagome's.

* * *

Her motions were furious, cloth flying at every angle, bags of snacks falling over and spilling.

"For the LAST time Inuyasha, it was a demon that attacked me both nights! I am NOT hiding anything from you! I do NOT know who the demon was and why it went after me, obviously!" A handful of dirty clothes in one hand, she stood to face him. A light crimson spilled across her cheeks, eyes lit on fire with fury.

He looked straight down at her, baring his teeth menacingly.

"Maybe you can use your brain for once and try to understand this!" He immediately retorted at this.

"There ain't anything to understand!" He growled. "And the rest of us don't get you either! You have been acting weird lately ever since you _lied _to all of us, saying you 'bumped your head on a rock after tripping.' Why didn't you just tell us then? I woulda found that bastard and ripped his head off the same day!"

Comforting words, Kagome thought. She rolled her eyes.

"And then I found you last night, crying and bleeding all over the damn place! And besides all that, nothin' is making any sense! So just fess up already!"

Kagome, who was bent down to place a few things in her pack, turned to face him again. She breathed deeply, leveling her anger, so that maybe she would make more sense.

Though, she had already explained the occurrences over and over again, to him and Sango and Miroku, who all were heavily worried. Could they not just wrap their head around this?

"Look, Inuyasha. I don't remember the fine details of everything. It was a demon, that much I was sure, and it hurt me, obviously. How, I don't really remember, and why, I haven't got a clue, so just get off my ass before I make you." Her hands were on her hips, stance unwavering.

He managed to scoff at this. She glared at him with twice the intensity.

"Anyways, like you said last night, this place is 'too dangerous for me' and I haven't learned to 'take care of myself,' so I am going to return home for a while, rest up for a bit, and come back. I have already talked to Sango and Miroku about this, they agreed." She zipped the top of her pack closed, tying the remaining flaps tightly. She heaved it on her back, and perhaps because of the lack of food and energy lately, it seemed much heavier than usual.

She moved closer to him, and the tone of her voice and mood changed dramatically.

"So please, Inuyasha, can you try to understand what has happened? I know I don't know much, which seems weird and everything, and I know it seems like I'm just covering something up, but what would I lie about, especially to _you_, especially if it meant my _safety_?" She took a step forward. "Please don't be mad Inuyasha. Please, let's just say goodbye, and I'll be back before you know it."

He stared down at her for the longest while, his golden eyes unmoving from hers. All anger seemed to have faded from him, replaced with an emotion she couldn't make out.

And then, suddenly, he turned from her, so that this delicate gaze was broken by the sight of his back.

"Fine," he breathed. "Go." There was another deep breathe, an unbreakable silence. "Bye."

And that was it.

The air around them turned to ice.

This was far from what she expected. No fight for her to stay. No sit's. No feistiness or playful anger or challenge. Absolutely nothing.

She backed away slowly. Did he know about Naraku? Could he see through her lies? Was this the end of their companionship?

Kagome did not bother to answer these for herself. She did not bother to worry.

Because if he didn't care, why should she?

Still, she could not deny to herself that she did care. She loved this boy, for god's sakes. She _loved _him. And he was letting her go, because she lied to him. She lied to him for the first time since they had met. Because of a rat named Naraku, because of her lust and her pain and the years that made her who she was; because she did not know what else to do and nothing made sense.

Because now it felt like she was losing everything that meant something to her.

She covered her mouth, tears washing her eyes, rocks in her throat.

She could not show weakness, she could not back down and let him win. Then he would know the true treachery of her words.

She turned into the brush and left quickly, without a word in reply.

* * *

The face burned in his mind.

Naraku awoke from the darkness. His skin wept with sweat and his body pulsated and shook with such force he had to take a long deep breath to control himself. He looked around. He was in construction, with thousands of parts of demons, tentacles and claws and arms alike, extruding from his body like a vine of limbs climbing the walls of the underground room he was in.

With an exasperated breath his body tightened and transformed, as all the parts of demons retracted within his muscled torso. After the room was cleared, his flesh quivered like wriggling worms until finally becoming smooth, his new body like a marble statue, flawless and shining.

"Much better." His face stretched with a smile as he admired his new arms, which glimmered in a way that suggested it was far from human. "Perhaps Kagome will be more satisfied."

However, this distraction did not ease his troubles. The reason to why he was awake was because of a dream that perturbed his endless mind. A dream was almost unknown to Naraku, for the time he slept was during his construction, during which the heavy barrier he put around his deepest thoughts was impenetrable. But still, the unforeseen and surprising dream sneaked past and met his unconsciousness, now laying heavily on his mind.

He would discover the meaning, get to the bottom of this pit.

"Kanna." He whispered into the darkness.

Almost instantly, a small child appeared in the dark hallway of the room. Her hair was gleaming white, shining like liquid silver down to her waist. Her skin was just as white, like the pale moon in the darkness of the night. She walked slowly, her garments gathering around her ankles, a strange and mysterious mirror cradled in her arms.

She reached his form, staring up at him with wide, blank eyes that seemed endless.

"Yes, Master Naraku?" Her voice was a soft murmur in the still room.

"What is the meaning of the dream?" He addressed her swiftly, at the same time placing a rich purple garment around his waist to cover below.

Kanna looked up to him, her bright eyes wide and questioning.

"My lord, what is there to question? It answers all you wish to know."

An angry growl rippled through the air, and a vein tensed on his forearm.

"Damn you and your riddles." He shook his head. "I never receive dreams. This is a rare occurrence. I wish to know its purpose, now."

Kanna's face still remained mysterious, eluding any comprehension.

Naraku stared at her and looked away. "Perhaps I am not being clear enough. Do you know why I desire little Kagome so much?"

There was no reply.

"You see, dear Kanna, Kikyou was the greatest, most burning desire of that wretched human, Onigumo. He never satisfied this wish. As you know, I have ridden myself of every cursed part of that human that was once in me. Except one. His wish for Kikyou was so great that it has tied me to it. And so, if I satisfy that wish with Kagome, the direct reincarnation of Kikyou, then the connection will be severed and I will be able to rid myself completely of that human and all the complication he brings."

Kanna nodded once, her white hair shimmering a million different ways.

"Your mirror prophesized that this plan would not fail. It showed me every step leading to its success, and every mistake to avoid." He took the mirror that was placed within her pale hands and admired it, turning it in the darkness, his eyes reflecting in the shining surface.

"However, it has already failed to show me two major faults. Inuyasha happened to impose on our delicate situation, just before I was going to take her for my own, and now this silly dream."

Kanna looked at the mirror, which was balancing delicately on his palm.

"Inuyasha's interruption should have been avoided, and the dream as you very well know yourself, carries more meaning than first imagined. So perhaps you will be so kind and share the knowledge that you have." His voice, at first tender and delicate with the child, turned sour and bitter, dark and dangerous. She did not seem to notice.

"The future can be predicted, Master. But never completely. And never can events be tied to your own plans, stuck to your wishes. The future always goes awry."

Somewhere in the far distance thunder cracked like a whip upon the air.

It was at her last breath that the shadow of his hand slipped from underneath the mirror, and it fell through the air, twinkling like the last stars before dawn.

The mirror hit the floor and shattered into a million pieces, like parts of diamonds, slivers of light finally escaped.

Even his shadow did not stick around to watch.

* * *

Kagome stood at the lip of the well, the dark fall within it seeming unending. Her hair remained thick and uncombed, her clothes torn and dirtied, her pack quite empty and yet feeling like a heavy lodge on her back.

She shook her head, placing a hand on the wood above the descending steps.

Would she go, or would she stay?

A slight moment of decision making, of quick doubts and apprehension, lead to a fixed solution, everything changed forever.

She felt quick hands snake around her figure and pull her back.

This time she did not bother to fight them.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 6:** Everything begins.

**Extra Notes: **Sorry for the wait. I have loads of homework and not to mention AP exams in a few weeks! You are lucky I even got this done now! CHAPTER 6 WILL NOT BE UP WITHIN A FEW WEEKS! I have too much on my plate at the moment! I will work on bits and pieces if I have time, but do not expect a super fast update! Thanks for your understanding.

Also, a few of you are wondering, why can't Inuyasha sense Naraku's scent on Kagome? All will be revealed, so just hang in there!


	6. Chapter 6

_Enjoy and review if you do! Praise me for all my hard work! _

_I actually started writing this when I should have been studying for AP Euro History. I'm so bad but I swear I love writing this story. It drew me in after reading the previous chapter. Anyways guess I need to get my priorities straight!_

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

She swore to herself one of three things:

She was in some sort of ethereal dream world, only seconds away from getting woken by her mom or Inuyasha or her brother.

She had completely lost her mind.

Or she fell down the well and was suffering from a massive concussion and disorientation.

As would any, if they found themselves floating above the realm of night on a barrier of magic, gliding through fog that carried a tint of purple and seemed to whisper secrets, and most importantly, hand in hand with Darkness himself.

_Willingly_ traveling with Darkness himself, and not having any regrets.

Kagome shivered as she watched the world tumble around her, stars streaking the sky with glittering stripes, which watched her in return. The protective shield he had placed around them had shielded them from any and all elements, and still she shivered with a cold.

He sensed this, looking down at her frail form. With a careful arm he pulled her closer to him, so her face pressed against his bare chest, her arms trailing the skin of his side. He was surprisingly warm to the touch, and she prickled to his heat, pushing closer into his solid body. Unbeknownst to her, his lips turned upward a fraction.

She marveled at this. At how close she was to him, without a thought of disgust, or regret, or any sense of reason. How easily he had played her upon emotions and desires. How easily he had weakened her, to where she did not bother to fight, or bother to think, or bother look at him with any enmity. How easily she had come with him, followed the bait right into his trap, locked her own cage and gave him the key to keep.

And still, she pressed her cheek against his pearly skin, eyes closed, thinking that if this was not Naraku, or if she could at least pretend, she would feel safer than she had ever felt with Inuyasha.

* * *

When Kagome was six her mother used to tell her that her almond shaped eyes would reel in all the boys.

This gave her more than a little false hope and self consciousness.

She would always look in the mirror, even continuing to do so at fifteen, looking at her eyes at any and every angle. She examined the color, the eyelashes, the pupil, the outer ring of the iris. She couldn't find anything extraordinary about them. The shape, if it was indeed an almond, was a lopsided almond at that. There were awkward creases at the corners that made her feel old, and almost always light purple and blue bags that made her look tired.

And so she never did anything with her eyes. She figured it was a lost cause. Mascara, eyeshadow, foundation, it didn't matter, nothing would help her haggard eyes.

She was determined, all things considered; it would be her shiny black hair that would be the eye catcher.

Yet, it didn't quite work out that way, for her eyes didn't reel in just any boy.

The thick of smoke paled the night and Kagome coughed. Reaching upwards like almost invisible hands the purple mist grasped at her legs and back. She was sure it was miasma, but perhaps she was already too out of it to feel the poison through her veins. Without thinking, she reached for his pale hand as he walked before her, which grasped hers in return.

He led her through a barren plot of land, the dirt stirring in their wake. He led her up a hill as his eerie castle appeared, like an apparition of the night, and she believed she was in a dream. He led her through the mist and fog to edge of the stair case. He led her up, to the gaping entrance in the wood.

She mumbled something about the moon but he tugged her along.

He led her into the night, watching as the sunlit orbs of her eyes were quenched.

The halls were dark and dreary, and Kagome was reminded of an empty prison or insane asylum. She figured this was the time she should run but shrugged her shoulders, the weight of the air lifted.

She was in the here and now, for a reason she didn't quite know, with a person she think might be different, changing herself into someone that was as much of a stranger as a stranger could be. _What was even her name? _Kagome rested on her lips, and she knew, but for how long?

Kagome pushed such thoughts out of her weak mind, focusing on the laboring of her breathing.

She looked up to Naraku who walked in front of her. She traced the long locks of his black hair, how it curved down the muscles of his back, then tracing the spider scar across his skin, to the cotton string of his plain pants, to his legs and to his bare ankles and feet. Everything in symmetry; perfect disarray.

Still her eyes moved up and lingered on the spider, and it seemed like it was staring back at her, all knowing and all watching. Carefully, with her free hand, she outstretched a finger, moving closer, the taste of curiosity bitter in her mouth.

"Go ahead, touch it." Came his voice, heavy to her ears. Surprised, she let out a small peep and jumped, placing her fingers to her side once more.

He turned to her, a smile on his face.

"Did I scare you?" His voice taunting her, she backed away.

"N-no."

He raised his eyebrows. "I did not?" She looked down to her feet, which she could barely see.

Suddenly he pulled her to him, and in a split second she was in his arms, his form crushing her against the wall.

"What about now?" He grinned into her collarbone, looking up to her astounded face. His hands roamed as they pleased, and she squirmed to each and every touch.

"Kiss me, Kagome." His voice was a whisper, almost hiding.

She looked at him. "I can't." She whispered in return.

He leveled himself to her, looking straight into her orbs. "No?"

Their noses almost touching, she felt his breath on her lips.

"I can't. The dark is not for me."

She turned but he held her still, breathing into her ear.

"Oh but Kagome, the darkness is so beautiful."

She stopped breathing as he placed his lips to her neck, lightly and swiftly, before leading her on in the never-ending corridors and hallways.

She followed along, breathless, and she believed him.

Perhaps it was her anger, which was seeded so deeply within her and grasped her like ancient roots that grew from the source itself.

Perhaps it was the betrayal from Inuyasha, the betrayal of love.

Perhaps it was her entire life, her days that rolled continuously, never ending, never dulling and never brightening.

Perhaps this was just the echo of her scream.

Perhaps it was the curiosity, the tingle of her tongue to trace such lands, to feel such a thing within herself.

Perhaps it was in her all along, and he just brought it out.

* * *

Inuyasha settled around the fire, the embers burning across the gold flecks of his eyes. He looked across, to Sango and Miroku, who stared at the coals themselves, not bothering to look up.

Everyone shifted as if something heavy had been placed on their shoulders, the wind speaking for them.

Suddenly, the fire crackled and popped, and Inuyasha stood up.

"You know, this ain't fair!" His teeth barred, he looked down at the two, who rolled their eyes up to him.

"This ain't! You don't know what it is like!" His muscles tensed under the lights and shadows of the fire, playing tricks against his skin.

Suddenly, Sango stood up, her eyes matching his.

"What isn't? What isn't Inuyasha? The fact that you pushed her away from us, or your stupid selfish anger?" Her voice rumbled in the air.

"What are you talking about? I went to find her, I saw her crying and bleeding on the damn floor! While you two just walked away because I happened to be right!" He let out a harsh breath. "If I didn't go she would probably have bled to damn death."

At this, Miroku stood up, his great staff tinkling weakly.

"You two need to stop this, now. Before it gets more out of hand."

Sango turned to Miroku sharply. "Let me speak." Her eyes burned like the coals themselves.

"You – were right in that respect, Inuyasha. We should not have let her go that night so easily. But you happen to be the most interrogating and disrespectful demon I have had to meet. She told us what happened. She explained it over and over, about how she didn't even understand." Sango continued.

"There were so many parts missing, it didn't even make sense." Inuyasha interjected.

"Yes, it did. You just were so stubborn and so angry at her that you refused to listen! Angry she didn't come straight to you at the first sign of trouble! Like you are her dad!"

"She was being stupid." His eyes narrowed.

"No! You! You would not leave the poor girl alone, and when she asked to go home, after you yelled about how she couldn't take care of herself and couldn't handle the feudal times, you let her go like she was a goddamn leaf in the wind." Sango sighed. "Why couldn't you at least pretend you cared? Why couldn't you just listen for once and your life and understand sometimes things just _happen_."

Inuyasha guffawed. "You guys believe it? She lied to your face! To all of us! And then _she_ left us!"

"She did not lie, Inuyasha! She has never and will never lie to us!"

"Nothing she said made sense, and you know it!"

"You just choose not to believe it!"

"I ain't believing anything that doesn't make any sense! And she as hell didn't!"

Miroku, in the background of their yells, rubbed his temples gingerly before stamping his staff to the ground.

They both turned to him.

"You two children need to stop, now. Sit down and shut up."

They stared at him, for such words had never passed the monk's lips. Wide eyed they sat.

"We obviously need her, more than anyone and anything. Something terrible has happened to her, and it is splitting us apart." Miroku stated, looking at both of them.

"Obviously." Inuyasha muttered, looking to his bare feet.

This was ignored. "I truly believe Kagome does not know what is happening herself. I have a feeling this is much bigger than we all can imagine, and it is only up to Kagome to figure it out. We will wait here, patiently, and when she comes back I know she will tell us."

"She lied to us, Miroku." Inuyasha's voice carried acrimony that settled in the air.

"And now she is gone." Sango sighed, shoulder's heaving. "I just wish I knew what was going on. That she was okay."

"We all do. But we must only hope and have patience. Rushing to conclusions and making rash decisions will do nothing. She is telling us all we need to know at this point. We must only wait." Miroku's eyes settled on Inuyasha, and he grimaced.

"God, I just love her like a sister, and I am so worried! I couldn't stand to lose her, lose another." Sango put her head within her palms, wiping the skin under her eyes.

Inuyasha grunted.

"You guys can sit here, waiting for nothing. I don't think she is at home at all. I can feel her in the air." He stood up, sheathing his sword.

"Inuyasha, don't!" Miroku motioned for him to stay as he turned from them.

"I am going to see if she is okay, instead of depending on her to come back to us."

Sango laughed, high and cruel. "You already did that, remember? And you caused more harm than good! You pushed her away even farther! Now she isn't even coming back."

Inuyasha turned his head for the slightest second.

"I am going to find her."

Miroku closed his eyes, his head shaking. "This will do more harm than good. And you know this."

Inuyasha smiled. "She is the only reason I am around."

And then he ran into the darkness, now only a memory to their minds.

The fire spat its one last dance before flickering and turning to smoke.

* * *

He had led her into a dark room, a shallow gray light filtering through slanted blinds opposite of her. The little furniture: an ornate wooden desk and mat in far corner of the room were dusted with shadows, so she could barely see their shape and color. Everything looked the same, the same shade of gray, the same melancholy.

Cold, dark, lonely.

Calling to her.

His fingers intertwined with hers and tightened and pulled her forward, and she stumbled along the cold wooden floor, feet dragging, body heaving until she crashed into him, and he pulled her closer, whispered in her ear, lifted her by the waist and laid her on the thin mat.

She had only a second.

She looked at the pale walls, tracing the edges, where each piece of the room met, the endless line that met a point and was abruptly ended. Her eyes followed until she met a crack falling down the wall to the ground, barely recognizable, as thin as a spider web thread, and yet so wide and vast she felt as if she was falling in, clawing at the edge of its opening until falling into the darkness of forever.

She gasped and closed her eyes for a second too long, then opening and looking back up again.

And then he kissed her with such fire and passion she forgot who she was.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 7:** If you are surprised now, wait until the next chapter. Many questions should be answered, and yet many more unanswered. Just like an episode of Lost! Hehe. There should be some Naraku POV, Inuyasha POV, and of course, darling Kagome's POV. Well, she isn't so darling anymore is she?

**Extra Notes: **I finished this in about a few hours. Sorry if it was a little confusing, I tried my best to make it cohesive. I personally loved this chapter, there's so much delicious symbolism and metaphors. Hehe. Next chapter should be up in a week or so. Then I have finals. And then summer. Yay! Sorry I am rambling, hope you enjoy my stories! And I must say, isn't Naraku just plain hot? Hehe.


	7. Chapter 7

_Enjoy and review if you do! Please and thank you! I can't get enough of your feedback!_

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

It was morning before Inuyasha reached the Bone Eater's well.

Strikes of light peaked above the hill tops, dappling the open field in spots of yellow and gold. He walked carefully, sniffing the air, ankles and feet glimmering with drops of dew. Beautiful as it was, he paid no attention, continuing to walk with a purpose towards the wooden mound.

He felt the cold air swirl around his body. Chilled breath, quivering skin. He shrugged the frost off, determined more than ever as the well grew closer in sight.

Stepping to the lip of the well he placed a careful hand and looked down into the hole, which was a black and unfriendly as it always had been to him. He looked up, sniffing the air curiously. A strangle smell reached is nose, tugging only for a moment, before leaving.

"Noodles?" he mumbled to himself. He lifted his nose higher, his nostrils flaring. The same smell of cooked food drifted in and then faded as quickly as it had come.

But this time, he was able to hold onto the scent for longer. He determined it seemed to be coming from beneath him, near his feet.

With lightning speed he backed from the edge of the well and surveyed the long grass around its base. To his surprise, he saw a blue fabric sticking out of the green, shadowed by the wood that hung above it.

He growled, realizing exactly what it was.

Pulling it from its hiding he surveyed it in the sun. Smells of cooked foods, packages and dirty clothes burst into his nose and he crinkled it in distaste. It was the all too familiar _human _smells. _Kagome _smells.

He growled lowly and fiercely, his claws piercing into the cheap cloth fabric.

Never, in the long years that he had known Kagome, had she forgotten her bag while going home.

He turned from the well and fled into the forests beyond.

* * *

Dirty does not even touch on how she truly feels --

_-- Disgusting_.

Existing does not even being to explain what she was --

-- _Alive_.

She lay on the bed, pretending to be asleep and exhausted in his arms, feeling the slick sweat and dirt and filth in the edges of her body. Though she lay perfectly still her minded was whizzing and turning with questions that echoed with no answer in return.

_Did I enjoy that?_

_Am I happy or unhappy that it didn't go as far as it could have gone?_

_Do I feel comfortable with him?_

_Can I trust him?_

_Is he thinking the same as me?_

_Is this where I should be?_

She was too afraid to answer these, and so they flew around her mind constantly, and she wished she was really sleeping.

Beside her his cold body lay, and she could feel the slow rhythm of the heart she didn't know he had. She had her back to him, and she could feel his cool breath against her bare skin. A hand was placed on her side and she stirred.

"Are you awake?" He called in the darkness.

She opened her eyes, defeated.

"Yes." She paused, for a second, before continuing.

"I want to go home." She breathed, and her words hung in the air.

She felt him sit up next to her, stretching his arms above his head.

"Not yet, my Kagome." He seemed to purr at her, and she was struck with anger. Why not now? Why couldn't she go as she pleased? She had went with him willingly, didn't that mean she could leave when she wanted as well?

Her innocence thickly shrouded her being, almost blinding.

She turned to him, her eyes burning faintly like dying coals. "No, now."

He looked at her, cocking his head slightly. His dark curls fell down his chest, which was bare and gleaming. She tried not to stare and focused on his face. He seemed amused.

"Please, let me go now, or I won't ever come back." Her voice turned slightly pleading, though she tried to mask it with anger.

He smiled, slowly bending over so that his lips were grazing her neck. "But Kagome, we aren't nearly done." His cool breath danced under her ear, and she shivered.

He pressed swiftly and surely, and she melted under his touch. He was too intoxicating for her own good. However, she knew she had to escape his grip, especially considering her current circumstances, considering his grip was getting tighter at every passing moment. Finding a strength she didn't know she had she fought back the pleasure raging in her body and wiggled away from his touch.

"Please." She looked at him. He stared back at her, his eyes relentlessly tearing at her figure.

"No." He reached for her arm but she moved quickly off the bed to avoid his grasp, then standing up.

Naraku let loose a guttural growl that made Kagome shiver in the thin shirt draped over her bare skin. He closed his eyes for a moment, before saying lowly, almost menacingly, "Get back here, right here."

Despite this, Kagome didn't budge.

Beneath her shirt her stomach quivered under tight skin. _Hunger. _

Her tongue lay dry and parched in a mouth that was sucked of all moisture. _Thirst._

Her body reeked of sweat and dirt in crevices of skin and her hair was matted and wet. _Soap. A shower._

And for the first time in many hours, she could only think of her home, of her warm bed and food crumbs falling from her lips as she stuffed sweet food into her mouth, melting such desire with a wash of cold water, straight from the faucet, straight from a cooled glass; and water running along her form, hot or cold it didn't matter, cleansing everything in its path, steam before her eyes, then drying clean with a towel straight from the dryer, still warm to the touch, running it along her skin; and putting on a pair of crisp clothes, comfortable and warm and then snuggling in a bed, the delight of sleep soon playing her face as she sinks into the ethereal world.

She blinked, shaking out of the vivid trance she was under. She looked around for a second. The floor she stood on was cold and almost moist, and her feet left prints of fog as she walked. The walls were cracked and worn, often dripping with water or spiders. There were no pictures on the wall. There was a bare window covered by a blind of the harshest gray, and the sparse wooden furniture was under a layer of dust so thick you could cut a knife into it. The bed before her was large but uncomfortable, blankets almost suffocating, pillows lumpy with old feathers. Everything old fashioned, everything dark, everything dirty.

There was no food. No water that she knew of. No shower. No soap. No clean set of clothes.

And there was nothing of comfort.

She looked at Naraku, whose pale lips split into a grin. She looked at him, tormenting indecision, as her body screamed one thing but her mind screamed another.

She loved such a pleasure, but could not endure such a pain.

Kagome turned from him, running out the room. He sensed her flight and shouted "No!" This was sharp as steel in her ears, and she was tempted to run back to him in fear, but dragged her feet along instead.

She ignored his calls and the sound of his body fumbling out of bed. As she reached the open gap into the hallway she could hear his footsteps behind her that were just quicker than hers. She bolted down the hall, taking quick turns until a great purple light spilled across her feet. Recognizing this, she ran to the source and soon was on the great patio of the manor.

Kagome jumped off the stairs, not bothering to touch each step, and ran without looking back. She ground was sharp beneath her feet and her knees wobbled and her chest burned, but she propelled forward, seeing the faint green of the forest beneath the hill.

And she ran, down the hill and out of the fog, and continued to run, until the soft wood of the well was under her fingers, the tears and truth of the night trailing behind.

* * *

It was later in the evening that the white haired demon Inuyasha stood at the base of a broad but short hill. The top of the hill could be easily seen at the base, and carried a few scarce trees that watched from above. The sun fell lazily behind the mountains beyond, but his eyes were keen even in such sight. Nothing stirred. He lifted his nose for what was the last out of many times, and delicately sniffed the air. The faint smell of her essence rose to his nose and then was gone for good.

"Dammit!" He grunted to himself, thoroughly frustrated. He had traced the scent of Kagome up to this very point, but it went no further. He had traced every inch of grass for her smell, but a distinct path ran to the base of this hill and the Bone Breaker's Well. Not a foot anywhere else. Perhaps she had sat here before continuing on to the well? Or had been dragged here while trying to drop down into the well by some unmentionable creature?

Anger boiled his blood, and his claws tore new holes in the bag that jingled faintly in his hand. Why had nothing made sense? Why had she seemed to disappear from his life entirely?

Perhaps this was her way of telling him he had messed up once more? Or something greater was at hand and she was hiding what she could?

No matter the question asked or assumption made, his mind was empty. He was completely and utterly in the dark. The past few days, with Kagome's strange disappearances, hole-filled stories, even emotional breakdowns, had pushed him far into a dark corner. Maybe she was just having some difficulties at home, some female life altering process unknown to the male species. It was likely…

But he could not be understanding. How dare she not tell him anything, give him any warning, and just run away from him like a wanted fugitive! How dare she leave him in the dark! Let him worry without a care in the world, twist things around with words, act in a way that she never had before!

"Damn you Kagome!" He yelled, crows tearing into the sky at his loud words.

He turned from the hill, kneeling in the grass. He breathed into the air in large, sputtering gasps.

"Damn you." He whispered.

* * *

Kagome fumbled in the dark, dragging her feet around the dirt of the shrine, feeling around the air like a blind man.

"How in the world can it be so dark?" She whispered to herself, finally feeling the wooden handrail at the tips of her fingers. She dragged herself up the stairs, stubbing her toes against the edges of each step, all the while trying not to make any noise.

The large gravel road before her was much more visible under the moonlight, and she slowly and quietly slinked across it until she reached the side of her house. She stood there for a moment, leaning on her shoulder to rub the tenderness out of her feet, which were sore and bruised from her flight. She looked to the windows above her. There was a lone light on, which she thought was the living room. She continued to walk along the wall, fingers tracing the plaster but mindful of the rows of flowers to her left that her mother had spent hours planting. She reached the corner of the wall and made the turn to reach the front door.

Hunching over sheepishly, she crossed the threshold and made a fist in preparation to knock on the door. And then, with a moment's hesitation, without the flight of regret in her mind, she banged on the door three loud times.

It was a few moments before she saw the hallway light flicker on. She heard a faint voice calling out something like "Who could it be at this hour?"

She tugged at the rock forming in her throat, but the attempt to swallow failed miserable. She heard the faint pattering of her mother's feet as they approached the door, closer and closer, until finally she heard the click of the lock…

And the door swung open and light, all the light in the world Kagome imagined, poured on to her figure and she stood there, like a deer stuck in the headlights of a massive truck.

She tried to watch the reactions of her mother as closely as she could, but she was blinded and dizzy and her mother's small figure seemed to fade in and out of her sight.

What she could determine though, was that her mother gasped loudly, and after many seconds of standing in the doorway with her hand cupped to her mouth, she yanked the word out of her mouth, and that's when Kagome realized she was thoroughly unprepared for anything like this.

"Kagome…is that you?"

The weight of the situation finally hit her shoulders and she forgot how to breathe.

"Hi, ma." She choked out, and it was barely audible.

For the first time, she truly wondered if this was the best idea. Sure, she figured out she had nowhere else to go _but_ home, considering Naraku was at her back and at this point she was more scared of Inuyasha and the rest of the gang. Considering there was nowhere in the feudal times where she could enjoy a hot meal with a warm shower and a bed that wasn't made of straw and sticks. Considering she couldn't escape in a land full of demons, creatures, and evil oh my. Considering that perhaps the best person to talk to would be her mother.

And yet, with all things considered…

"What in the world…?" There was a long pause as Kagome watched, paralyzed from the neck down, as her mother scrutinized every inch of her body, exaggerated and exasperated faces at every flicker of an eye.

It seems that Kagome, in her rush to get home and service to basic human needs, _especially_ since her fried and worn out mind offered her no moral compass, had forgotten that perhaps going home in such a state would not be the best idea. In fact, she had not looked down at her body once before knocking on that pale yellow door, not even bothered to maybe wash a little of her body or face off in an attempt to salvage whatever neat and clean persona that she usually carries.

She watched as her mother trailed her eyes down her body, and bugged out of proportion as soon as they met the indecent place between her legs. Kagome, who was aware that she was running around without any panties and a shirt that barely reached her midthigh, was _not_ aware it was so obvious through the thin fabric hanging over.

She made an effort not to burst out into tears, and instead looked down sheepishly at her body.

The full force of the situation then stabbed her in the chest, repeatedly, and she wasn't sure if it was so bad to the point there was no point in being embarrassed.

Here she was, in the dead of the night, with a bare white teeshirt soaked through with her sweat revealing her pale bare form underneath, her body soiled with dirt up to the thighs and elbows, her hair a matted nest of sticks and sweat at the top of her head. She really was almost unrecognizable. She looked like some nightmare in the form of a girl, or a wild child from a jungle movie. She had not even seen her face, but when she reached up to touch her cheek, she felt it was slick and oily and ashen colored.

"Well young lady, you get into this house this very second!" Her mother's sudden sharp voice cut across her cheek and she was dazed.

Never in her existence had her mother used such a tone with her.

"Now! Before the neighbors see!" Her mother repeated with the same harshness as before, and Kagome, who was still in a frightful daze, clambered into the doorway, flinching at the slam of the door behind her.

She stood there for a moment before her mother grabbed her hand and yanked it, hard, so that she faced and focused her mother.

"Kagome," her voice, which was strained and tense in the air but somewhat gentler, "I have no idea what to say or think at this moment. You may not realize it is two thirty in the morning right now, and for you to show up on the doorstep as you are is completely unlike you and _unbelievable_." Kagome, numbed to the core, nodded once in comprehension. "So you are to take a shower this instant, and when you are finished, you are to meet me and your grandfather in the kitchen for some serious explanation."

Kagome mumbled an indistinct "Okay" and dragged her way to the bathroom. It was at this moment that the exhaustion and aching finally reached her body, and she was wracked in pains. The lack of food and sleep and everything that she was used to drained her completely and she barely reached the shower before falling into the bathtub, letting the water pour on her for what seemed hours.

* * *

Kagome noticed several distinct things.

First, the water, as she first pictured it back at the manor to be soft and relaxing and shower her body almost as a masseuse would do, was nothing of the sort. Instead it pierced into her body like sprays of tiny needles, and no matter how much she would turn the handles, the water always was too warm or too cold.

She found no matter how hard she scrubbed, she still felt dirty, a filth leaking out her pores in a continuous coat.

The towels were not fresh out of the dryer and not soft as she thought they would be either. They were kind of rough to her skin, somewhat like sandpaper, and she itched after she had dried and gone to her room.

And when she opened her room, she sensed a sort of chill that made her feel like she was intruding on some sacred space. She hurried to her clothes cabinet, and pulled out the most comfortable pair of pajamas she could find, fitting into them with an unfulfilled satisfaction. They almost felt heavy on her thin frame, and even too stuffy, like they were smothering her skin.

It could have been her imagination, but it seemed like the house was spitting her out in distaste, and she felt so very unwelcome.

Kagome gathered her wet towels to hang on the rack and braced herself to enter the kitchen. She really had no idea what the hell to say. There was nothing she could admit or come up with that would explain the wreck that she had been. Her mind, which was usually pulsating with ideas to cover up fights with Inuyasha or stresses she didn't want to be seen, was wiped completely clean. So empty you would hear an echo if you dropped a stone inside of it. She perhaps was going to go along the lines of a demon was chasing her, but her reaction on the doorstep was far from panicked.

There was absolutely no justification in her words at this point. She was completely trapped. But she would have to face the music, or else things would be so much worse.

She turned to face the door, pressing a palm to the doorknob to turn, when she heard a faint voice and stopped herself. Knowing this voice to be her mothers, she eagerly pressed her ear against the door to hear better.

"I don't know what to think at this point." Came the soft call of her mom's voice.

In response, she heard the gruff voice of her grandfather.

"Well, it sounds like something really bad has happened." Ever so obvious.

"Well of course, but what? Perhaps something was chasing her, or she forgot clothing and needed to come home?" There was an exasperated sigh. "You should have seen her, though. Her eyes flooded with panic the moment she realized what she was doing on the doorstep. Like a fish out of water. It seemed like she had just come here without any thought to the matter, like it was her last resort."

Kagome gulped. Her mother was far too clever.

"Like I said, dear, it sounds like something really bad has happened." A short pause. "Give her some time to collect herself, don't corner her."

"Well, of course. I just need to know what has happened to her. This is not a normal fight with Inuyasha. Maybe the feudal era is too dangerous for her to return to now. Maybe she won't tell me the truth. And what of Souta…?"

At this, Kagome sunk to her knees, grinding her teeth not to cry.

"Kagome has always been a great kid. Maybe a little weird, but a great kid. I suspect she will tell the truth. But if you really are worried, I can put up a few little charms and trinkets, found them in the shrine the other day, says they inflict honesty…" His batty voice trailed on for a moment or two, and Kagome couldn't help but smile at his absentmindedness.

But Kagome's mother took a little too long to reply to this, not even a short hollow laugh.

And then there was a big gasp in the air, and Kagome froze.

She was crying. Her own small but caring mother, that had always been there for her, was crying in the kitchen.

"I know, I know. And that is what makes me so worried. She is a great kid, and this is so unlike her. This is not Kagome." There was another gasp and a quiet, choking sound. "I just want my Kagome back, to tell me what's wrong, to let me know she is okay. Because I am so worried."

It was at this Kagome sank below her knees and rested on her elbows, her hair trailing the floor in front of her. Much like the days before, that seemed like lifetimes ago, when Kagome sat in the field of dew covered grass and cried in fear and anxiety and confusion over Naraku's sudden presence.

How similar and yet much different these situations were.

Kagome let the tears fall for a moment, before pushing herself up off the ground. She would not talk to her mother tonight.

She _could not_ talk to her mother tonight.

She turned to her lamp and fumbled on the switch with a shaking hand. She dragged herself into bed, laying on top of the blankets and comforters, staring at the ceiling without a thought in her head.

It was then exhaustion, not comfort, that washed sleep over her.

Suddenly, it seemed like she was awake once more. She looked around, confused, to then see Naraku beside her in a large bed. Kagome gasped and pushed away from him quickly, but he merely laughed.

"Dear Kagome, are you still afraid? You know now I offer you nothing but pleasure." His voice sizzled into her ears like hot oil, and she was immediately assured.

And then he touched her, and kissed her, and whispered secrets in her ears, and she felt so beautiful to be his maiden, his fair skinned maiden with ebony locks, in his manor above the hill, far away from Inuyasha, and the jewel shards, and the pressure of trying to have a normal life in the cities that seemed more a past than the present, far away from it all, with only the soothing pleasure rippling under her skin…

He felt her to the core and such pleasure rippled through her flesh so that she shook and gasped and –

-- once more it disappeared. Kagome opened her eyes, looking at the familiar ceiling of her plain room at home.

"Oh, it was only a dream…" She whispered to herself. She felt her forehead and she was burning hot and drenched in sweat. She was suddenly thirsty but too tired to get up and get a drink of water. She was too tired to even move, and her eyes fluttered between darkness and complete darkness.

And yet all the while, Kagome, who thought with such persistence that home would be the perfect escape, could not stop feeling the burning edges of her body where he had touched her, the sinking realization that such pleasure was gone, or stop the delicious shape of his face and body from intruding her mind.

And, she thought without a whim of regret, she did not mind this.

It was then, that she realized, there was no escape, and there was no going back to the life she once lived.

* * *

**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 8:** Apparently my hints have been too revealing to some people, and I do not want to ruin anything for anybody, so I will just say that things will happen! Many things indeed! hehe

**Extra Notes: **This chapter took a great deal of patience to finish, not to mention its about 1,000 words longer than I usually write them. This is considering several downturns have happened in my life and I'm struggling to cope. I will try my best to update as soon as I can, which should be about 1 to 2 weeks between each chapter. On a better note, I have written detailed notes on each chapter up until the very end of this series, so they should be much easier for me to write! Thanks for all the love so far!

Take notice of the lovely green button below this message! 


	8. Chapter 8

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SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I HOPE ITS WORTH IT!

_You could say it was for several reasons (excuses) … school ended and I had finals, then I went on 2 major trips right as school went out, then I lost interest in writing it altogether, then I lost the original draft for this chapter, then I stuck it out and finished. _

_So thanks for waiting for this lovely, short, kind of boring chapter. But I guess it's important._

_This is sort of a filler chapter by the way._

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**Chapter Eight **

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Kagome was angry.

In fact, she was beyond angry.

This was no safe coven from the bad, the heaven from hell, her savior from the evil she had ran from. It was nothing of the kind. In fact, if anything, it was more of a prison than Naraku's castle, than the feudal era.

She never did explain why she had appeared so haggard and in such disarray the night of the previous days. She could not think of the right words to say, to make her mother believe her and make everything perfect again and make her world right side up.

And so, she did not explain anything at all.

Which resulted in always having the doorknob locked, constant knocking, yelling through the door until throats went dry, barricading herself in her room, sneaking out during the earliest hours to grab a quick meal and rinse off with such speed the water wasn't always warm. She promised herself it would just be until she had figured everything out.

It was three days, her mother refused to let her out of the house, and Kagome had no answers.

And apart from barely eating and barely staying clean, she barely got any asleep.

Her home was not a haven from discomfort, and it certainly did not protect her from him.

Every night in a sleepless fit she would close her eyes and find herself next to him in his grand cold room, on the large dark bed. Every night he would do something different with her, make her shudder under his large hands, make her breathe so deeply into the cold air she felt like she would never get her breath back. And then she would wake up, and feel like she had gotten almost no sleep at all.

Case in point, she was a wreck.

Outside of her sleepless slumber she merely sat on her bed or on her desk chair and thought idly of a few things, even debated with herself about issues that she really had no answer to.

First and foremost, how in hell did she manage to create such a tangled web with Naraku, the dark lord of the underworld practically.

If one had asked Kagome if such a thing was possible a year previous, she would have laughed in their face. Now to her surprise, she found herself seriously contemplating the possibility of a relationship (of any sort) with this man. It seemed like he had stirred desire within her that she never knew she had.

Innocent school girl gone bad.

But why?

At first, she thought it might just be the tight knit weaving of her life. Always doing this or that, nothing ever different. Always going to the feudal times, saying goodbye to her mother, catching up with friends, making up illnesses no one ever heard of. Maybe she craved a new routine in her life? Something that added a spark to the dullness in her eyes?

Naraku definitely fit that quota.

Maybe it was the length of the "relationship" she had with Inuyasha. That boy was just old news, and only caused bitterness and perhaps she needed to seek comfort in other areas. She was in love with him, no doubt about it, and the fact of the matter was he held her heart in his palm, and was squeezing a little too hard.

But now, she found herself wondering who that him was in that sentence.

A person can only give so much to someone else before they turn away. She had given everything to Inuyasha, her tears and fears and care and somehow he managed to take it without a word and gave nothing in return. Without any affection in return, Kagome felt like Naraku was filling in the missing piece in her life where Inuyasha seemed to dig at and make deeper. For once, she felt truly cared for. She felt alive in his arms. And maybe it was a screwed up situation and the feelings didn't mean anything because anything she was feeling was not real, but at least she felt something. At least she felt alive, felt like a bird, tearing through the skies before the storm hits home…

Perhaps it was the good girl falling for the bad guy again. The bad guy was irresistible. And Naraku, Kagome could not deny, was very attractive in every way. His hair, his eyes, his body, even his smell, drew Kagome in like an impervious net. There was no escaping it. But it did offer her escapes in many other ways.

Perhaps it was a coming of age thing. She was young and old at the same time, with a body so ripe and delicious no man could resist, and she caved in to such pleasure because she could not resist it as well. Because lust seemed to dominate her fragile body and mind. Because she had never felt such a thing before in her life.

Perhaps she was tired of being the good girl. Always doing the best for everyone else, but herself. Always following the rules, even when they should honestly be broken. Bending over backward with too much on her plate, only because it was the right thing to do.

Perhaps she wanted a name for herself, and a real name, and a real identity to call her own.

Perhaps she was tired of being broken.

Perhaps she longed for something new and exciting, however long it might last.

Perhaps its only a matter of time until a person looks to the shadows, when they are tired of being blinded by the light.

For this reason or that, whatever or whichever, the moon came high into the black and Kagome stared outside her window into the dark and lonely night, opening and slipping out without a breath of regret.

The thought of her mother or her room or her shrine were far from her mind as she scaled down the side of her house and fell into the rows of flowers her mother labored over, then running into the dark hole that was the well.

As she floated across the realm of time she realized she was much better at sneaking out than she ever imagined, that certain things she never thought she would do came to her as some sort of natural ability, and the night and her could not be better friends.

Perhaps she had it in her all along.

* * *

Inuyasha pounded across the meadow with a speed he knew not he possessed. Branches and bushes snapped to pieces in his wake and footprints, square and perfect, pressed permanently in the soil underneath him. The hill he had sat at for many moments disappeared far from sight, as the flat plains of the well opened up from the forest grove.

He decided that Kagome's scent was not returning no matter how many hours he sat at the foot of the hill.

He decided he would not wait any longer.

He decided he would return to her time, the only other place he hadn't looked.

With a strong leg he leaped from the edge of the forest to the center of the meadow where the wooden well stood shining in the light. With a strong arm he pulled himself over and pushed himself to the bottom in one swift motion. With a strong heart he melted into the transition between the old time and the new, hoping desperately that Kagome was okay.

When he reached the other side of time it was the darkest of nights with the palest of moons, but his eyes were well accustomed. He stepped with ease up the narrow steps and across the threshold of the shrine, looking across to the Higurashi house. No lights were on, and the streets lay barren and empty. He sniffed into the air and the weakest of smells piqued his curiosity, but he was far from excited. The other human smells of sewage, garbage, and car exhaust were heavily smothering the more delicate, fragrant one, and his mind was clouded with a headache as he crouched across the gravel path.

Reaching the side of the house he looked up to Kagome's window, which was partially open and as dark inside as the sky itself. He easily leapt to the ledge near her window, making little noise. He crouched right in front the sill and peered inside. He saw a bundle on the bed but heard or saw nothing more.

Inuyasha followed the usual routine. He knocked lightly on the glass, once, twice, thrice. There was no response. He whispered into the space of her room. There was no response.

He waited there for a moment, listening as carefully as he could for any breathing noises, blankets ruffling in the bed, a creak of wood.

There was no response.

He shook his head. He needed to go into the room himself, seeing how undependable Kagome had been lately.

He lifted the window up to the very top, and pulled his legs through first, the rest of body following through in a fluid like motion. Barefoot on the cold wooden floor, he looked around the room once before turning on the lamp.

The bundle on the bed was nothing more than a mass of clothes in disarray. The closet was open and disheveled, shirts tangled on the hangers or fallen on the floor. Besides that, nothing else was disturbed. He took a few steps forward, listening with every particle of his body. Perhaps she was outside her room at the moment.

In the middle of the night. Right.

Inuyasha flicked his eyes to the door and saw that the knob lock was indeed in place. Kagome was not in her room. Kagome was not in the house.

Such anger filled Inuyasha that he took a pillow from her bed and tore it in half in the flick of a wrist, the pieces of fabric fluttering to the ground like the purest of feathers.

It was then that it hit him.

Her scent, her fragrant and delicate and flowery scent, filled his nose and burst into his mind. Every inch of the room was covered in its presence, every shirt and every piece of furniture drowned. It was so overpowering that it was as if she was right next to his side, or his nose was leaned into her hair. He groaned and took a few steps back, lightheaded, before he could channel some of it out of his senses.

Carefully, he took another sniff, and it wandered in like an army for many moments. A scent this strong could not be possible if she had been absent from her room for many days. It could only be possible if –

She was just here.

He looked to the pile of clothes on her bed, the cabinets laid askew, the window that was part way open despite the chill from outside, the cold linings of the chair and the desk and the bed as if they had not been used for months, the dust that should be there.

It fit into perfect place.

Inuyasha, with this dawning realization, could not contain his anger any longer.

His golden eyes flickered red once in the darkness of her empty room.

* * *

Naraku sat along his windowsill, the dismal night reflecting in his amethyst eyes. His fingers twitched and jumped across the scarred wood along the drapes, his mind far from serene.

Kagome had not returned. It had been too many days already, and he was growing impatient.

"Damn it," he breathed, "I should have not let her go so easily."

Impatient hardly touched his true feelings of anger. If he could not get what he wished, if all his efforts were put to waste because of this one complication on his part, then there would be hell to pay. His fingers snapped together, laced menacingly into a fist.

And yet, at the same time, he could not help but feel as if he knew she would return. That was why his instinct told him to let her go. He needed to manipulate the girl as much as he could, and let such controlled feelings manifest within her on their own. After these long days, she must be tortured with desire and lust and need for his body. She must be drowning by now. Any effort to stave off such desires and keep away from him would have failed. She needed him, she would convince herself of that.

And if she didn't?

His strong demon persona snapped such thoughts out of his head. But regretfully, he grew worrisome. He grew fretful and antsy and fidgety as each hour passed that she wasn't around. He denied that he missed her. He denied that he wanted her for more than what was needed to be obtained. He denied that he needed her any way, shape, or form. He denied that he cared.

"Human thoughts," he would tell himself gruffly, "I will be rid of you soon."

And so he sat there, at the window's edge, quite alone, as a current of wind passed through the window and played with his hair and loose clothes. And involuntarily, his skin quivered with chills. He stared in astonishment of his shivers, realizing in the darkness and silence that it was the warmth he had become so used to, but was no longer there.

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**Please review, tell me what you think**.

**Hints on Chapter 9:** Things happen. *evil laugh*

**Extra Notes: **I'm sorry this took so long. The start of my summer was quite busy but you should give me credit for sitting down and finding the time to finish it! I will try my best to update each chapter in a week to two weeks. I'm more than half way done with the series, I need to finish it up! I have several story ideas that I have written down for future tales, can't wait to finish this one up. Anyways, thanks for all the love so far!

**Please take note of the shiny green button below. Thanks!**


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